Sewmanypatternz......Sew Little Time.: A New Family Member, Ice Fishing, A New Job and More Quilting.

There's a little bit of everything going on at our house these days.

A new family member: Two weeks ago we welcomed a new member to family. Nik is a young man from Austria who will be spending the remainder of the high school semester with us. Nik is our second exchange student in a little over a year. All I can say is that we have been blessed. Both students we have hosted have been wonderful kids that have enriched our lives. It's fun to see American life for the first time through the eyes of these students. Every day is an adventure.

Ice fishing: Winter in South Dakota has brought us snow, frigid temps and frozen lakes. I've not been a big "outdoorsy" person except when it comes to FISHING which I've been participating in for as long as I can remember. Last winter, Jeff and I explored a few surrounding lakes to try our luck at ice fishing. I can't say we were entirely successful but what an extraordinary way to enjoy the Black Hills of South Dakota.

This weekend we packed up the kids and ventured out onto the ice. With 12" of ice to support us and near 50 degree temps, the conditions could not have been more perfect.

Ice Fishing on Roubaix Lake in The Black Hills.

I have a new job! Over the past 16 years, my sole job has been to take care of my family so my husband could concentrate on his high stress job. I haven't for one moment regretted giving up my nursing career for my family. It has been a blessing to have been given the opportunity.

Now that my kids are grown/growing up, I have decided that I need to re-invent myself. After brief thoughts of a return to nursing, I decided that my dream job would be to follow my sewing passion. A friend called me recently and asked if I would help her out in her quilt shop two days a week. I didn't even hesitate. My dream job......helping people who share my love for sewing; being surrounded by beautiful fabric; and actually getting paid to sew. I'm on cloud nine!!!

Quilting: Though I haven't been sewing a lot over the past week, I have been working on a few very important projects that I'd like to share.

I'm making memory quilts for a friend who lost her husband four years ago. She has only recently reached a point where she has felt healed enough to sort through his belongings. While doing so, a friend suggested that she have quilts made out of his clothing. I am more than honored to do this for her.